Grate mechanism.



J. A. BUW, P. THILL & A. E. WHEELER.

CRATE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 17. I914.

Patentd July 18, 1916.

ISHEETS-SHEET 1 @EIEE M m I w mw m whim wfl w/L H m I Jpm m N J. A. BOW, P. THILL & A. E. WHEELER.

GRATE MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED 050.17. |914.

Patefited July 18, 1916.

' '1 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6 BI" I IVIZN'ESSES:

I. A. BOW, P. THILL & A. E. WHEELER.

' GRATE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I7, I914. 1,191,272. Patented July 18, I9I6.

7SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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INE/EN T O] 5 James/I 50w, Pezer 7771/! 5,? Army/"2 .4 TT 011 E1 H 4E I0. 5 A l J. A. BOW, P. THILL & A. E. WHEELER.

GRATE MECHANISM. I APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1?, 1914- I Patented July 1b, 1916.

\ 7SHI;ETSSHEET 7.

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' WITNESSES: 1 i gl [.NVEJYTORS. 1 Q J6 r w-1% 1 er 1 9 I K ArcherE-lzee/en ll--'-fl.' :I L,

GRATE MECHANISM.

T9 all-whom it may concern: I 1

Be it known that we, JAMES A.. Bow,"

PETER THILL, and ARCHER AVHEELER,

citizensof the United States, the said J AMES A. Bow and PETER THILL residing at Great Falls, in the county of Cascade, State of Montana, and the said ARCHER E. WrrEELnn residing in' London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grate Mechanisms, of which the following is' a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our-inven'tion has relation to improve-- ments in grate mechanisms; and 1t consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification I and pointed out in the claims.

The present invention is specially d rected to grate mech anisms for gas producers and deep-bed fire boxes generally, or where there; is a considerable depth of ashesse'parating the grates from the combustion Zone or bed of red hot coal or equivalent fuel. The invention however is not restricted in its application to, deep-bed fire, boxes but may be .appliedto direct firing, that is to say,

fire-boxes in which there is ashallow bed,

-with the live coal resting on,-and in direct contactwitlnthe grates.

The objects sought by the invention are (1) to provide means for mechanically dis-' chargi-ng the ashes, and clinker-s, from the bed; to discharge the same either intermittently or continuously and at a uniform rate; to discharge them either uniformly and equally from all parts of the bed, or fromone or more sections of the bed at a time, as desired; (a to keep the bed of ashes uniformly agitated to the desired degree;

(5 )to remove clinkers positively and gradually without undue disturbance ofthe upper portions of the bed-at any one polnt; (6) 'to dispense with the necessity of employing undergrate steam; (,7) to prevent the forover the entire area thereof, thus obviating the necessityof the air being at a high pressure at any point in the bed, such as is the to provide further and tages of which will be fully apparent froma' detailed description of the invention incon; nection with the accompanying drawings, in

which Y F1gu re 1 1s a vertical transverse sectlon of a conventional gas producer showing our invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a top construction the advan TES PATENT orr on {FAME-51A Bo w Ann PETiin mnimfls, nonrauh nnn ARC E WBEE ,'QF LONDON, ENGLAND, I

Patented July-(8,1916,

plan of the gratemechanism with parts thereof broken away, and showing portions of the producer walls in section; Fig; 3Iis.

an enlarged vertical cross-section on the line :3-3 of. Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinalvertical section onthe line H 2 of Fig.1 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section on the zig-zag line 5 5 of Fig.2; Fig. 6 is an'enlargedlongitudinal vertical section on-the zig-zag line '6 6"of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 isan enlarged top plan'of the l terminals of threegrate cylinders or" rolls and their supporting bearings, showing also the reciprocating cam-shafts, the rockers carryi'ng'the pawls controlled by the cams, and the ratchet disks engaged by the pa'wljs,

parts being in section;.Fig. 8 isan: elevation parts being broken, and other parts in secof the chain and tackle by whichperiodio 5 rotation may be imparted'to the clam shafts,

tionon the line s s of Fig. zyri 9 is a ftransvers'e vertical sectional detail through a grate roll and spindleof the pawl, showing a portion of the cam-shaft in elevationj Fig. 9? is an end view of thespindle carry ing' the coiled spring controlling' the lever connected to the pawl which actuates the ratchet wheel on theroll; FigglO isa View} at right angles to Fig. 9 looking toward the left of said figure,with' partsin section; v

F ig; ll-is a diagrannnatic end projectionof i one of the. cam-shafts showingthe circularly or circumferentially progressive disposition of the cams on said shaft; Fig. 11* is a longitudinal diagrammatic view of one of p the cam shafts showing the longitudinal and circumferential disposition of the cams along and around the shaft; Fig; 12 is. a diagrammatic elevation of the rocker members and reciprocating operating links therefor and some of the parts appurtenant thereto; Fig. 13 is a sectional illustration showing a modified method of cooling a hollow grate roll; Fig. 14 is an enlarged detail showing the cooling means illustrated in Fig. 13; and F ig, 15 is a sectional illustration showing a further modification of a method for cool- .ing a hollow grate-roll or cylinder.

Referring to the drawings, and for the present to Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive, G represents a conventional gas producer provided with an outlet gas-flue F discharging directly (if desired) into 'a furnace, fire pot or other'chamber (not shown) for burning the producer gas, as well understood in the art. In the present e'mbodlment of our inventlon,

the grate elements, which in the illustrations are in the form of hollow grate-rolls or cylinders l, 1, are disposed in pairs acrossthe bottom of the gas-producer chamber (or fire-box where applied to fire-boxes) the axes of the elements composing any given pair being spaced farther apart than the axes of the contiguouselements of adjacent pairs (Figs. 4, 5,) said spacing being necessitated by reason of the direction of rotation imparted tothe elements or rolls of any pair as will more fully hereinafter appear. The peripheral surfaces of the grate rolls may be smooth, though preferably, and in the maj ority of cases necessarily, they are provided with radial projections or protuberances a over the grate area proper, or that portion within the chamber of the producer (or firebox), the projections on one roll alternating or staggering with the corresponding projections on the rolls on either side thereof,

that is to say the projections of successive rolls are out of alinement. It must be understood in this connection that the projections at are only by way of example, and that we do not desire to restrict ourselves to this form of projection as any other suitable formation serving a similar or equivalent purpose may be availed of. Amongthese may be mentioned (without illustration) longitudinal or helical ribs, extendingcontinuously, or isolated masses suitably disposed over the surface of the roll. They may be cast integral with the roll or attached thereto. Neither are we to be understood as restricting ourselves to rolls circular in-crosssection, any other formof cross-section being contemplated by our'invention. Inthe present illustration the rolls or grate elements are shown hollow, but a solid'roll is likewise contemplated by our invention and in many instances will serve its purpose as well as a hollow roll. Each roll terminates in reduced trunnion portions or extensions 1, 1", respectively, the trunnion 1 being the longer of the two Fig. 3). The means for supporting the rolls is substantially as follows Carried by the opposite walls of the producer between which the rolls are disposed are metallic frames 2 provided with a series of openings 0, each opening being traversed by the trunnionsof contiguous rolls of adj acent pairs (of rolls) as above described, the border of each opening being suitably re- 'cessed to receive the flanged portion of the stufling boxes 3 bolted to the frame, each box in turn receiving, the gland or follower 4 bolted to the member 8 as wellunderstood in the art, the periphery of the tubular portion of the gland having formed thereon an annular spherically contoured rib or bearing h, the curvatureofthe bearing causing the gland to aline itself to the axis of the'roll without requiring an accurate lining up of the frame (Fig. are preferably made of two independent sec- The stuffing-boxes 3 tions, that is to say, one stuffing-box for each trunnion, whereby upon removal thereof from the frame 2, either roll, by a proper manipulation thereof, may be removed without materially disturbing the adjacent roll (Fig. 5). The roll extension .1- is closed by a flanged cap-piece or plate 5, between which and the terminal edgeof the extensionis secured a conical spider 6, the hub portion of having coupled thereto a branch 12- dlS-r charging into a launder 13 as shown (Fig. 3). The casing 8 passes througha conventional stuffing-box 14 to prevent leakage.

Mounted loosely and rotatably about the roll extension 1, between the plate 5 and an annular shoulder a (Fig. 3), on the member 1, are a pair of rocker members 15, 15,-(the adjacent member of each pair ofrolls having similar rocker members 15, 15, somewhat longer than the members 15, 15, and extending below the same, but in other respects identical with the shorter members 15, 15,

Fig. 6), the rockers being maintained a fixed distance apart by a ratchet disk or wheel 16 keyed or otherwise secured to the grate roll. The members 15, 15, (15, 15,) are free to rock (or oscillate about the axis of the grate roll) as a unit, their upper portions being connected by a cylindrical pin or spindle 17 about which isloosely mounted between the rockers, a gravity pawl 18 for engaging the teeth of the ratchet 16, the lower portions (or arms) of the rockers 15, 15, receiving between them a reciprocating link, connecting rod, or bar 19 which is pivotally coupled' thereto by a cylindrical pin 20, the lower ends of the rockers 1 5 ,15.',,"'reeeivingbe-' tween them a corresponding reciprocating link-'or bar 19 connected pivotally to the rockers by a cylindrical pin 20, the bottom bar 19-being guidedbetween brackets'21 bolted to the foundation D (Figs: 3,5,). The lower arms of, the rockers '15 are of suflicient .length to; span the link 19, the bosses t thereof engaging opposing faces of both links19, 19, as shown in the drawings.

The forward end of the, link 19 is coupled to a single eccentric rod 22 the eccentricstrap of which couples to an eccentric'23 keyed to the shaft S,the latter having rota tion imparted theretoxfrom a motor M'operating through a speed reducer N well understood in the art. The front end of the link 19' on the other handis pivotally coupled by acylindrical bolt on pin 24 between the cured by screw-bolts e to the respective rocks formed with a dished cavity or opening A, boundedby. bearings 26, 26, which support" bosses w, w, of a pair of eccentric rods 22 whose straps are coupled to the eccentrics 23 set on the shaft S, on-opposite sides of the eccentric 23, onehundred and eighty degrees apart from said eccentric 23.

From the foregoing connections it must be apparent that rotation of the shaft-S will impart reciprocations to the links 19, 19",

simultaneously in opposite directions, and consequently will rockthefmembers' 15, 15",

simultaneously in opposite directions. Similarly between the rockers 15 15, there is disposeda ratchet .l6 actuated by a pawl -18" hinged about a spindleor pin 17 con necting the members of each pair of rockers 15 15. Hinged .to theupper-ends of each.

pair ofqrockers 15, 15, andspanning" said rockers is an inverted U s hapedyoke 25,'the,

depending ends whereof"a-re 'pivo-tally seers,a similar yoke 25.; spanning, and being I pivotally secured to each'pair of rockers 15,

by-pins e; The top of eachyoke 25 is a combinedro-tary and-'ldngitudinally rec procating shaft 27, suitable cap-plates 28 1 bolted to the bearings, holding the shaft in place on its bearings. :1n the same manner a the topof each yoke 25' is provided with a dished opening A spanned by a parallel combined rotary and longitudinally recipro' eating shaft 27 resting in bearings toiwhich are bolted cap plates 28; Between the bear ings 26, 26, directly over the opening A,

there'is clamped or bolted to the shaft 27, a

sectional collar or ring 29, the bottom or under section being provided with a cam 30,

(-Fig. 10) freely rotatable in the dished opening A, said cam operating to depress (as presently to be described) the long arm 31 of a bell-crank] mounted to oscillate about a pin or spindle 32 supported between the lobes or lugs c, 0, formed on one of the rock ers 15 of each pair, the short arm 33 of the bell-crank arresting the oscillations of the of the spring, the. operator. giving thespin:

flatterupwardly bylstriking the upper end v ,ofjthe 'innergcurvedface ofthe wall of the a rocker adjacent" to which the bell-crank i mounted. To securea good. bearing about the spindle 32, 'the bell-crank is preferably provided Witha sleeve 34 loosely enveloping the .spindle, there being coiled about the sleeve'a spring 35, one end ofwhichis s'ef 34,-the opposite end'being fastened to the -curedto the lever 31 at the base ofthe sleeve I collar 00 on thespindle, the. latter being maintained against rotation by'a pawl p I (Fig. 9) engaging a ratchet 1" at one end of the spindle, this arrangement likewise serving as a means for adj us'ting the tension die a turn or two by applying a wrench. or. similar tool to the squa-re endof the spindle outsidethe ratchet), the pawl preventing a return movement as well understood in the art.) The leverarm 31 isprovided with a laterally projecting member or, bracket'36 thefree end of which carries a hump or pro-' tuberance 37 directly in the pathof rotation -,.'-9@ It will be readily seen (Fig. 1Q) that-with ofthe cam 30."-

a rotation of the .shaft- 27 clockwise, the'nose of the cam ,30 ridin over the hump 37 will depress the same angthe lever-arm' 31, hold'- ing the same depressed aslong as the nose of the cam'30 is maintained in engagement,

with the hump, 37. The free forked end of the arm'31 has secured thereto the upperend; Oftt chain or cor-(1'38, the lower end of thechain being securedto the gravitypawl pression ofthe lever 31, theychai n 38 will thellever-arm 31.1.0; its original or raised posit'i'on,-. the arm exerting a draft on the j chain 38 and hence lifting the', pawl-18 out of engagement with the ratchet 16. The

. shaft 27 is provided with a collar or ring 29' and a pawl 30 above theopening A; theirockers15fwith 1a bell-crank lever 31, mounted about a spindle 32- with its collar w' supported between lugsc', c, onone of thero-ckers l5, saidlever being provided with a short arm 33, a sleeve, 3(1,;a spring 35, ,abracket 36, Witha hurnp37, a.-chain- 38. leadi ng from the lever arm 31 vto the f'pawl 1S, ;and the spindle 32. controlled by a pawl p andfa ratchetr? allidentically the same as the corresponding parts. identilied with the shaft 27 and rockers 15.

Rotationpisimparted to the shafts 27, 27

simultaneously inopppsi-te directions (the shaft '27- rotating clockwise) through the instrumentality oftheggears 39, 39',-'the gear 39 being fixed to the'shaft 27 andthe' gear. 39' being .slidingl'yffeathered to the;

I p i 18. It follows therefore that with ade- "shaft 27 the feather-groove being repre- -mesh while the shaft 27 is free to reciprocate longitudinally through ,the gear 39. These longitudinal reciprocations of the shafts 27, 27 result from the oscillations of the'rockers 15, 15, 15, the former reciprocating the shaft 27 in one direction, while the rockers-15, 15, reciprocate the shaft 27 in the opposite direction; and it is obvious that if during the opposite reciprocations of the cam-shafts (27, 27",) the gears 39, 39, are to remain in mesh, the shaft of one of the gears must be free to play through said gear. It is for this reason that the gear 39 v is slidingly feathered to the shaft 27. The rocking. of the members 15, 15, obviously necessitates a hinged or swiveled connection between said members and the yokes 25,

in order to permit the shafts 27, 27 to maintain their horizontality; a rigid connection 7 between the rockers (15, 15) and their yokes (25, 25.") would obviously be out of the question. Since the shafts 27, 27, are geared together, it follows that if we rotate one of the shafts in 'a given direction, rotation will be imparted to the other shaft in the opposite direction. illustration .the shaft 27 is the drive shaft, that is to say it is directly connected to the mechanism by which rotation is imparted to the shafts, said mechanism beingbest illustrated inFigs. 7 and 8: At a convenient point'overhead, and above the floor E below which the producer is installed, is a shaft 41 on which is mounted a chain wheel 42 from whichpasses an operating chain 43 through the floor E, the lower end of the chain passing over a grooved pulley 44 forming a part of or secured to, a lockwheel45 rigidly carried by or keyedv to, the shaft 27. Bolted to a lug 46 of'one of the -yokes 25 is a bracket arm 47 terminating in a bearing 48 through which passes a cylindrical pin or spindle 49 for the support of the hub 50 of a bell-crank 51, the horizontal arm of which is pivotally coupled to the lower end of a'vertical staff or rod 52 passed loosely through the floor E, the rod terminating above the floor in a pedal or platform 53, between which and the floor is interposed a compression spring 54. The free end of the vertical arm of the bell-crank 51 terminates in a finger which is adapted to engage one of a series of peripheral notches a formed in the lock-wheel, there being as many notches as there are cams disposed along either of-the shafts'27, 27

In the present that is to say there is one notch'for every 9 pair of cams 3O 30 as distr the two cam-shafts.

It will be seen from Fig. 8, that the operator by placing his foot on the pedal 53 and depressing the staff 52 will trip the bellcrank 51 so as to cause the finger 55 to become disengaged from its notch. 4, allowing the operator to manipulate the chain 43 in such a way as to impart rotation in proper buted between a direction to the pulley 44 (and lock wheel 45 and consequently to the shaft 27, whereby bothcam-shafts 27, 27, will be rotated in opposite directions. The degree of this ro-,-

tation will depend on circumstances to be presently referred to, it being sufficient at this point'to state that when the cam-shafts have been rotated through a suflicient arc, the operator releases the pedal 53, allowing the staff 52 to resume its normal position, whereupon the bell crank 51 will be returned to its original position, the finger 55 engaging the particular notch nfopposite which it may happen-to be, and thus locking the cam-shaft against further rotation. hen the finger 55 locks the lock-wheel 45, only two cams (one cam on each shaft 27, 27) are in proper position to depress their levers 31, 31, to allow the corresponding pawls 18, 18 to engage their respective ratchets 16., 16.- This isobvious when we take the following into consideration: As shown diagrammatically-in Fig. 11, the

keys is for securing the series of cams on the cam-shaft (27, 27 are disposed not along a common line parallel to the axis of the shafts, but circularly apart approximately fifty-two degrees. or one-seventh of a complete circle, it being understood that in the present embodiment of our invention there are sevencams distributed along the length of the shaft. The shafts being geared together as described (gears 39, 39"), naturally rotate simultaneously in'opposite di rections, so that the cams 30 on the inner shaft (27) are set to point outwardly, whereas the corresponding cams 30 on the outer parallel shaft (27) are set to point inwardly ('seefor example Fig. 10 where the cams 30 and 30 point in opposite directions toward the space between the cam-shafts, the cam 30 being shown full, and cam 30" dotted) the cams being so set on the respective shafts that as the shaft 27 is'rotated to cause a given cam 30 to depress its lever 31.to allow the latter to lower its'pa'wl 18 into engagement with the gear 16 operating in conjunction with any given set of rockers 15, the shaft 27 will be rotated in proper direction to cause the corresponding cam 30 to depress its lever 31 to allow the latter to lower its pawl 18 into engagement with the gear 16 operating in conjunction with an adjacent set of rockers 15. Vith these 'de pressed positions of two levers 31,31, and

the engageinent of the corresponding pawls 18, 18, with their particular gears 16, 16, the finger 55 of the bell crank 51 will be in locked. engagementwithone of the notches n of the lock-wheel 45, none, ofthe rema ning,

cams of the cam-shafts having reached a point of their, sweep to depress their levers 31, 31", and hence none oflthe remaining pawls 18, 18', being in engagement with, their gears 16, 16., It follows therefore;

that with a rotation of the drive shaft S, the reciprocations imparted thereby to the links 19, 19', while, iinpartinga rockingmovement to all the sets of rockers 15, along the line, can impart periodic rotations or advances to only two of the. ear wheels- 16, 16, identified with a given 1; 'Mr of grate rolls, the pawl 18 with each alternate stroke of the rockers l advancing its roll the distance of a tooth in one direction, whereas the pawl 18 with each alternate stroke of the rockers will advance the opposite roll a distance of one tooth in the opposite direction, the rotations of therolls being,

as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l, thatis to say the roll actuated bythe' pawl car ried by the rockers 15 rotates clockwise and the roll actuated by the pawl carried by the rocker 15 rotates or advances counter-clockwise, this being due of course to the manner in which the pawls' are hung and the man her in which the ratchet gears are set on the rolls(see Fig. 12, 5,). .To release any particular pair of rolls from their driving pawls, the operator trips the bell-crank '51 out of engagement with its notch n (by depressing the pedal 53) whereby the camshaft is free to be turned to any other desired POSltlOILlIO cause some other pairw'of cams to depress their levers '31 to' bring,

about an engagement between their pawls and ratchet wheels, and thus set another pair of rolls into rotation, it being understood that the circumferential or circular disposition of the cams on their respective shafts is such that when a cam on one shaft acts to eifect engagement between a pawl and its ratchet wheel, a corresponding cam act's similarly on the adjacent cam-shaft, so that a pair of rolls can always be advanced 'or rotated for crushing-"the clinkers and dis charging the ashes. If the shaft 27 is turned so as to bring into engagement with the finger 55 the'outer peripheral portion of the lock-wheel d5, that is to say the por-- tion between two notches 11, none of the cams will be operative because the arc of rotation isinsutlicient to bring about sufficient depression in any of thelevers 31, 31,to drop their pawls into positive engageinent with thier ratchet wheels. i

The niunber of notches 12 in the wheel 45 corresponds of course with the number of cams on a cam shaft, or to the number of pairs of r' ills supporting the fuel (there are seven pair of rolls inthe present example) andwhile we here show seven pairs-of rolls and seven cams, this number may be carried will depending on the grate surface de sired. Of-course with a variation of-the number of cams around the shaft, there would be a corresponding variation of the, angle foffseparation between them.- Thus,

Avith six cams around, the shaft, they-would be separated circularlyan' angle of sixty de- 5 of. rolls would rotate or operate simultaneousl'y. Such' an arrangement however is not; ordinarily desired in practice, and thelobject ofliavingbut a single pair of rolls rotate at a time (the camsbeing disposed so that any pairvof rolls of the series may be selected for turning) is to avoid imposingto o great 'ay'strain ,o'n'therolls and prevent overloading, ayresult which might be at tended with a breaking of the eccentric;

:drive. .So that the pawl-operating mechav nism as shown is practically fool-proof, 1 for whileallthe pawls may be simultane-y ousl'y disengaged (as above described) there I is no possibility of more than'two (one fog gloo each cam-shaft) being engaged at a'timez Under thearrangement as shown (Figs'lvtj 12), the terminal rolls'of thes'eriesrotate simultaneously in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 12, the material being discharged through the spaces between the rolls and the adjacent walls of the fire-box, but 1 the remaining rolls operate in pairs as a clearly apparent from said figure, the vInaterial discharging downward between the I rolls of any pair and dropping onto a platv .forin, beam or pair offplatforms of beams 56 disposed parallel to the rolls and'symmetrically about a central vertical planethrough the opening between the rolls, the

width of such beam or platform being sufgficient to cause the ashes piling up on the same to completely seal the opening between the rolls. This width is determined by the angle of'repose of the ashes, the width of the discharge opening between the-rolls, and

the "distance of the beam below the rolls (Fig; 4). :When the ashesare piled up at the angle or repose from the edge of the beam, the inclined surface of the pile should 1'25 at least-touch the roll as shown in Fig. 4. The width of the discharge opening between the rolls and the beam, ,must be reasonably large-to avoid any unnecessary crushing of clinkers and lumps a'ndto admit'ofthe passage of any foreign substance too hard to crush. Thus the problem is solved as far as the discharge opening is concerned.

Vith regard to the alternate spaces be-' tween rolls where no discharge is supposed to take place,-these can be made as small as possible, or just sufiicient to let the rolls clear. This will prevent the fines as well as the coarse material, from running through. Or, if it is not practical to construct the rolls with a sufli'ciently small clearance, a

filler could be put in consisting of a casting 'or plate, bent to suit the surface of the rolls.

The beams 56 are supported by structural members 57 or their equivalents.

The operation of tlie'mechanism is clear from the foregoing description but may be brieflysummarized as follows: The motor M being started,'rotation is imparted to the shaft S, and through the eccentrics 23, 23,

. keyed tosaid shaft and the eccentric rods referred to.

22, 22", leading therefrom reciprocating motions are imparted to the links 19, 19', simul- -taneously 'in op'posite directions,'the links course in these reciprocations the lock-wheel 45 and bell-crank 51 are likewise rec1pro-' cated, but not to a sufficient degree to be materially affected or resisted by the staff 52 connected to the bell-crank, the length of the staff permitting sutficient fiexure thereof to respond to the reciprocati'ons of the parts I When the operator desires to' rotate any particular pair of rolls, he seizes the chain 13, depresses the pedal53', trips the'bell-crank 51, then turns theshaft 27 any number of degrees until the particular as necessary, after which they may be dispair of cams 30, 30',have forced their corresponding pawls 18, 18, into engagement with their ratchet wheels 16, 16, the rolls identified with said wheels being periodically advanced or turned with the continuing reciprocations of the links. 1 9, 19', or rocking of the members 15, 15. The particular-pair of rolls maybe rotated as long engaged and another pair or set of rolls pressed into service. Of course during. the action of any pair of-rolls, the finger 55 is kept in engagement with the lock-wheel 45 until said rolls are disengaged and another set of rolls started. To arrest rotation of the rolls, either the motor flay be stopped, or the finger 55 set against .he lock-wheel 45 the upper chamber of ,the'producer. there are weak places in, the combustion between two notches, in which posit-ion none of the pawls will bein engagement with their ratchet wheels, and none of the rolls The rolls are kept cool by'the will turn. current of water (or. other medium) traversing the same in the manner already de scribed. As the rolls 'rotate the clinke'rs are crushed to the necessary size to pass through the openings between the rolls, (or grate elements) the removal thereof and of the fines being effected withoutunduly disturbing the upper portions of the bed.

There are two important and essential feav tures, or principles, in gas producer grating, to which this invention lends itself admirably:

(1 In all previous grating device'spin,

which the ashes and clinkers are discharged through openings distributed over the entire area of the grate,- the grates in reality act more or less as a screen, or shaking screen, if the grate is of the shaking variety. That is the fine ashes are sifted out almost compl etely, or to a much greater extent-than the cliiikers or large pieces. This opens up the ash bed, reducing the resistance to the draft. Now this is a necessary feature in direct firing where natural draft is used; but in' gas producers where forced draft is em-' ployed, it is not only of no importance to have the ash bed opened up in this way, but

it is a decided and serious'disadvantage,as will be shown; In the first place, if the grating mechanism is so designed that the fiiies and clinkers can be discharged together without any screening out, or separation, the result will be that, the fines being all retained with the clinkers and other larger pieces, the bed of ashes will have'a uniform density all over and for the entire depth. The density of the ash bed will be considerably increased, and will be greater than that of the combustion zone above, providing of course the fuel used is not too fine. There will. be no weak or open places in' the ash ;bed where an excess of draft can get through and cause blow-holes, which cause clinkering and also the. escape of unburned air into zone, on account of'the density of the ash bed below, the excess air that can blow through at these weak places will not be very great.

tained with the coarse), acts as the'best kind of a distributer-for the air, and mini- In other words, the dense ash bed, (which density is due to thefines being re mizes the effects of Weak places in the combustion zone. is required to force the air through this dense bed, but with forced draft the small extra pressure is of little consequence.

(2) The other feature, or principle, which hinges on the denseash bed, is one that depends for its operation upon the fact of the Of course, greater pressure ash bed being denser'than the combustion zone; and thisfeature consists of the automatic regulationof the combustion, or equalizing'of the combustion over the entire area;

It Is presumed that the surface ofthe'be'd Will-be kept practically level, or nearly'so To beginwith, assuming that conditions are normal and uniform in the bed; that is, that the ash bed is of uniform thickness andthe zone ofco'mbustionfialso; then iffor any reason any inequality'in the air pressure develops in'the ash pit, it will, of course, cause" an excess of'air togothrough that portion of the bed, just above. This ivi'llincrease the rate ofcombu'stion of that'part of-the.

bed over the'remainder, and, 'ofcourse, this high pressure part ofthe bed, burning faster,

willsin'k faster and more coal will have to of the bed 'only Within certain limits,= so

thatfor the purpose of-thi's illustration, let

I of being sifted out, or'screened out, leaving- ,it be-presumed that theashes can be discharged only at a'uniform rate over the entirebed. Then, as more coal is being burned i at one portion of the'bed than another, more ashes are bein'g formed at one place-than at another, and as the rateof'dischargelpf, ashes is uniform, there must consequently" be a greater building up of ashes at that'portion of the bed where the air pressure in 'the ash pit is the higher. or, in other words, the line between the combustion zone and ash bed must risehigher, thus making the depth, of the ash bed greater where the under-grate air pressure is greater; 'But, as

the surface .of the bed is kept level, thus making the total thickness of the entire bed equal all over; (assuming-the grates are horizontal) and pie theash zone is denser, or' more resistent to the passage of air than the combustion zone', it is obvious that the portion of the bed which has the greater proportionate depth of ash zone must offer the greater resistance to the passage ofthe air. But this is the portion of the bed which.

has the greater undergrate air pressure,'as was shown, therefore, the resistance of the bed at any point tends to increase with the air pressure underneath at that point, and

this tends to bring about an. equalization of the rate of air pressure throughthe bed all over, and hence equalization of rate of combustion over the entlre area. Hence, after this equilibrium has been established, there can always be maintained combustion zone wherein good gas can be produced over the entire area, and only completely burned ashes discharged from all parts of't'he grating area. If it were not for this tendency to equalize the rate ofcombustion, due to the ash zone being denser than the combus-.

discharging through the grates; "Of course, 1f .the'-gmtiii -mechanism were such that i from therest ofythkegratearea, then the' in equal cond tion 'ofathefash' and combustion jdownward (Fig 4); It: would ofzcoursef hardly be practlcal, to place the rolls so close with'a discharge opening f from Which'th i I "practically always be portions'of the area. of thebed whe'rethe ashes Would extend practically up to the surface, thus allowing unburned air "to get-f through; or at lea st 'where the combust on zone would be so thin that instead of jpro- 70" ducing gas the coal would'be completely ,1] burned" by 'the primary air. "And, there would be other portions of the area of'theg bed where'partiallyburned coal would be 7 5 tion zone, there would the ashescould, at anytime, be discharged' at "Willfrom any portion of the grates. desired, Without discharging an equal amoun .zones'would be corrected mechanically; j The principles of the gas producer opera? tions described, depend, as intimated.in,,

the beginning, upon the fine and coarse p rts-"s5 of the ashes all beingdischarged together,'.; or in other words,- upon 'the'feature of the finesbe'ing retained in the ash zone instead the cl'inkers. This feature of the operation '90 is'accomplished by the-rolls'rotating. as de scribed, substantiall'y'all the discharge taking place between those pairs ofrolls whose adjacent peripheral portions are-.movingl together thatthe fines could not sift through ahead of thecoarseriparticlesof the ashes, "and to preventthis siftingis thewobject of the beam or platform 56, the width of-which as previously stated should be suchas to permit the ashes piling up on it, to completely seal thedischarge opening between the rolls. As. previously pointed out, the mechanism,

is susceptible of'many modifications, some 1.05,

of which have already beenalludedto. In

the preferred method of cooling the rolls I "(where hollow rolls are used) we illustratev a circulating pipe whichhas a terminal dis,- l We show a. modification in which the circulating pipe 60 is provided with peripheral} chargewithin the roll. In F igs.'13 and let '110 discharge openings 9 causingthe cooling"; i i Water to impinge against the inner Walls of the roll. The-supply branch-61 thereof passes through a stu'ffing-box 62 ofthe trun nion dfthe. grateroll, which boxis provide .water is discharged over an inclined plate 6 into alaunder 64'; In Fig. 15 we'show water supply pipe-65 discharging throu the terminal cap-piece or plate 66 directly into the hollow roll 1,iwhen ce .it. discharge from a pipe 67 into a launder 68 as clearl' apparent. from the drawin'g.,... a Features shown butf'-not'-. alluded toare, ar well understood in the..art,and require no description in the present} connections-[In without departing from the nature of the in vention with which said control is associated. The manner of drlving therolls may be Varied at pleasure. In lieu of an electric motor M as shown, we may substitute a steam, air, or gas motor, or the rolls might be turned by hand. In fact the entire de sign might be altered Without a departure 'from'the spirit. or nature of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim is: a

1. In a grate mechanism,a series of grate rolls collectively forming a fuel-supporting surface and disposed in pairs and spaced apart, a motor, and intermediate connec tions between the motor and rolls for singling out any, pair of rolls andximparting simultaneous rotation to the individual members thereof in opposite directions.

2. In a grate mechanism, a series of grate rolls collectively forming a fuel-supporting surface and disposed in pairs and spaced apart, a motor, pawl and ratchet mechanism for actuating the several rolls, and intermediate means interposed between the -motor and rolls for-selectively operating the actuating mechanism of a predetermined pair of rolls and. imparting rotation to the members thereof. a

3. In a grate mechanism, a series of rolls collectively forming a fuel-supporting surface and disposed in pairs and'' spaced apart, trunnions for .said rolls, rockers mounted loosely 'on the trunnions, ratchet wheels on the trunnions adjacent the rockers, a motor, intermedlate mechanlsm between a the motor and rockers for rocking the latteri v pawls on the rockers normally disengage from the ratchet-wheels,- and means on the rockers under the control of the operator for effecting engagement between. the ratchet wheels of a predetermlned pair of rolls, and

their pawls, whereby rotation is imparted to said pair ofrolls. I v I 4. In a grate mechanism, a series of graterolls collectively forming a fuelssupporting surfaceand disposed in pairs and spaced apart, trunnions for said rolls, rockers mounted loosely on the trunnions, a motor,- means interposedbetween fthe motor and IgJCkGIS for oscillating the rockers of the rolls ofany pairsimultaneously in-opposite grateing an engagement of the pawls with the ratchets of any predetermined pair of rolls, whereby simultaneous periodicadvances 1n opposite directlon are lmparted to the ratchets of the respective members of any pair of rollsand to the rolls.

5. In a grate mechanism, a series of grate-rolls spaced apart and-disposed in pairs and collectively forming a fuel-supporting surface, trunnions for the rolls, rockers mounted loosely onthe trunnions, a motor, independent links connecting adjacent ends of alternate rockers, intermediate connections between'the din-ks and--motorfor imparting simultaneous reciprocations in opposite direction's to the links, and corresponding oscillations to the rockers, ratchet disks secured to the trunnionsadjacent the rockers, the teeth of the ratchet on one member of a pair of trunnions eX-. tending in a direction opposite to the teeth of the ratchet onthe coacting member, means on the rockers-under the control of the operator for effecting engagement between the ratchets of any predetermmed pair of rolls and their pawls, ,wherebythe members of such pairof rolls have imparted thereto a simultaneous periodic rotary advance in opposite directions.

6. In a grate mechanism, a pair of rolls spaced apart, trunnions for the rolls, rockers' mounted loosely onthe trunnions at adj acent ends of therolls, a reciprocating link attached to each rocker, the-links imparting simultaneous oscillations to the rockers in opposite directions,a ratchet disk on each trunnion adjacent the rocker, a pawl on each rocker cooperating with the ratchet, rotatable'shafts coupled to the respective rockers, gears on the shafts intermeshed and interlocked with one another, one of the gears being slidably feathered to its shaft, and means interposed between the shafts and pawls for eflecting engagement between the ratchets and their pawls upon rotation of the shafts through a given arc.

7 In a grate mechanism, a series (of grate rolls disposed in pairs and spaced apart, the rolls having cylindrical terminals or trunnions, rockers mounted loosely on the trunnions at adjacent'endsof the rolls, links pivotally coupled to the rockers of corresponding members of the'scveral pairs of rolls, means for imparting simultaneous reciprocations in opposite directions to the re- 7 spective lin (s and corresponding oscillations to the rockers to which the vlinks are coupled, ratchet Wheels secured to'the trunnions ad acent the rockers, pawls on the rockers in coiiperative relation to the ratchets, a shaft extending along each set .of

rockers. and coupled thereto by swiveled connections disposed spondingin number to thenumber of pawls identified with each set of rockers, and

means interposed between "the pawls and cams foriefl'ecting engagement between the 'ratchets of any. pairof rolls with a rotation' of the cam-shafts through agiven arc.-.

.S. In a grate mechanism, a pair of: rolls spaced apart, trunnions for the rolls, roclc. ers inountedloosely on the trunnions at adjacent'ends of the rolls, means for imparting simultaneous oscillations to the rockersin opposite directions, a ratchet disk on each trunnion adjacent the. rocker, a. pawl" on each rocker adapted to'engage the ratchet,

rotatable shafts coupled to the respective.

rockers, gearing coupling the shafts, means interposed between the shafts and pawls for effecting engagement between the ratchets and their respective. pawls with a rotation of the shafts through a given arc whereby the rolls are periodically and simultaneously advanced .rotatively, and means for disengaging the pawls from the; .ratchets upon a rotation of the shafts be yond the are aforesaid. V v

9. In a grate mechanism, .a series of grate rolls disposed in pairs and spaced apart, and terminating in cyl ndrical trunn ons, rock-- ers disposed in pairs at adjacent ends of the rolls and free to oscillate about the axes of. the trunnions, the rockers extending above and below said axes, each alternate pair being the longer and extending below the rockers of adjacent rolls, links pivotally connect ing' the successive short and'long. series of rockers, the link coupllng the shorter rockers passing between the longer arms of alternate rockers, a drive-shaftQeccentrics on the shaft, set angularly apart, eccentric rods 'connecting'the eccentrics to the links for imparting to the respective links reciprocations simultaneously in opposite directions,

ratchet wheels on the trunnion's between the members of each pairof rockers, thev teeth of the successive ratchets'exten'ding in opposite directions, pawls mounted between the rocker members above the series of ratchets, yo'kcs swiveled to the successive pairs'of rockers 111 the general plane of os cillation of the rockers, parallel shafts mounted on the 'yokes the' latter being pro-'- dvided with openings above; the ratchets,' "cams on the shafts disposed over the open ings and set angularlyapart along the" the I shaft,

connecting theflevers tolthe pawls, gearing,

against rotation during the period of. en-,

" a series of cams distributed along the sameand set angularly apart around the periphrolls collectively forming awfuel-supporting 120" may be imparted to saidpair.

shafts, a distance in degrees determined by 6 dividing three hundred and sixty by the numbers of pairs of rolls to be actuated, the cams of the respective .shaftsexten'ding in opposite directions, spring-controlled levers mounted to oscillate between the rocker members above the pawls, humps on said levers disposed in the paths. of rotationof the cams, chains or. equivalent means, for\ between thecam-shaft's, interlocking means betwecn the gears to prevent longitudinal displacementthereof along the shafts, the gear of one of the cam-shafts beingslidingly feathered thereto, and means forimparting rotation to the cam-shafts for caus+ inga. depression of two ofthepawls by the cams of the. respective ,shafts operating through the levers aforesaid whereby simultaneous periodic rotary advances are imparted to the members of one pair offiolls' saidv pair. dcpendingbn; the are through which. the c alnshafts are actuated. "10. In a grate mechanism of the character. described, a series..-of pairs of grate -rolls,ff ratchets on said rolls,pawls for imparting 9Q periodic advances to the jratchets of any pair rolls, a camshaft operating selectively upon the several pawls ofany set of; ratchets whereby an engagement between;v any pawl and 'its ratchet may be efi'ected by a rotation of the cam shaft through a'pre- I scribed arc, lock-wheel on the earn-shaft, and a spring-controlled member for engaging the, lock-wheel and locking'the. same 1G0 gagement between the pawl and its ratchet, 11. In a grate mechanism of the character? described, suitable grate rolls, ratchetwheels on tlie rolls, pawls foractuating the ratchets,

around the periphery of'the' shaft, and

"means actuated by the cams for controlling r the pawls,

12. In a grate mechanism of the character described, suitable grate rolls, ratchet wheels on the rolls, pawls for'advancing the ratch ets and their rolls, and a camshaft having cry of the shaft, said cams operating to .control the. pawl's aforesaid 13; In agrate mechanism, a series-of grate I surface and disposed in pairs, means for .actuating the rolls, andmeans controllable independently of the act'uating means "for sin-- gling out any pair of rolls, hereby rotation Y 14; :In a grate' mechanism, a seriesof grate 125 rolls collectively forming a fuel supporting surface and disposed in'pairs,"meansgforactuating the rolls, and intermedietemecha" nisim" between said actuating means and \V itneSses for James A. Bow and Peter tells for'singl'ing out any pair of rolls and Thill:

imparting rotation thereto. ROY A. LA' MOTTE, v ---ln ;testimfiy'whereof we aflix our signa- ROBERT GRIG. .5 turesin presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES A BOXV \vltnesses for Archer E. Vheeler:

PETER THILL. .FREDERICK WV. SNOW,

ARCHER E. 'WHEELER. JAMES E. KIDD, 

